Somebody's Baby
by Lileigh
Summary: A series of short one-shots based on a song.  Each chapter features a different couple.  Starting with our favorite, of course.
1. Chapter 1  Sam and Andy

**A/N:** Thank you, Jackson Browne and Tassie Cameron. I own neither the song nor Rookie Blue.

It was noisy in the Penny as usual and someone had dropped money in the jukebox in the corner and set an old Jackson Browne hit to play. Sam Swarek leaned his back against the bar and watched the rookies shooting darts.

_Well, just look at that girl with the lights comin' up in her eyes / She's got to be somebody's baby / She must be somebody's baby _

Watching Andy laugh at something one of the other rookies was saying, he couldn't help smiling to himself. It had been some time since he'd seen her. Undercover work took him away from the division for long periods of time, but they had just wrapped up the big case he had been working, so he was back for a while now. He surveyed the patrons of the bar more from habit than anything else. He noticed that there were more civilians here than usual and saw more than a few appreciative male glances landing on his beautiful rookie.

_All the guys on the corner stand back and let her walk on by / She's got to be somebody's baby / She must be somebody's baby / She's got to be somebody's baby / She's so fine_

Andy had been through a lot in the past year and Sam often worried about how she was coping, but one look at her tonight and anyone could see that she was happy and no worries were plaguing her mind. Her smile lit up the room and made everyone want to be around her. Sam started to revise his opinion of that being a positive thing when he watched a guy walk up and offer to buy her a drink.

_She's probably somebody's only light /_ _Gonna shine tonight / Yeah, she's probably somebody's baby, alright_

He watched her shake her head in rejection of the drink and turn to take the darts from Traci Nash. Sam watched her shoot and winced. Andy might be good at many things, but darts was not one of them. Maybe now that he was back, they could practice that particular skill. After all, hand eye coordination was key to many aspects of the job.

Dov Epstein and Chris Diaz took over the board and Andy and Traci moved to a table already occupied by Gail Peck. The three quickly fell into what appeared to be a deep discussion. Sam was glad to see that the women seemed to be closer friends than when he had left. The fact that Traci had been unshakably in Andy's corner had been one of the things that had gotten her through some tough times. Although, the fact that she had instigated the whole put-Sam-on-ice incident somewhat tarnished his opinion of her.

_I heard her talkin' with her friend when she thought nobody else was around / She said she's got to be somebody's baby; she must be somebody's baby_ / _'Cause when the cars and the signs and the street lights light up the town / She's got to be somebody's baby / She must be somebody's baby / She's got to be somebody's baby / She's so…_

Watching her from across the bar now, he recalled the first time he had seen her that way. It was after she had made her first arrest. Which had happened to be him. The incident had long been an affectionate joke between them. At least it was to him. He was proud of her for running him to ground. Literally, as it might have been. It was what had made him start to fall for her. 'Okay, enough with the bad puns.' Sam thought to himself. He recalled that his attitude that night had been less than festive, but it didn't interfere with him noticing the way the highlights in her chestnut hair gleamed and the sparkle in her eyes. That was the beginning of the worst six months of his life. He was forced to see her every day, knowing that it wasn't possible for him to tell her about his growing feelings.

_She's gonna be somebody's only light / Gonna shine tonight / Yeah, she's gonna be somebody's baby tonight / I try to shut my eyes, but I can't get her out of my sight _

It was also the beginning of the best months of his life. He got to be with her every day, and slowly her smile and laugh and…well…everything else about her, brought him back from the dark world of drug cartels and overdose victims; guns and gangs and the harsh realities of life on the streets. She was one of the very few people who could always make him smile. Sam put down his drink and tossed a few bills on the bar. It was time.

_I know I'm gonna know her, but I gotta get over my fright / Well, I'm just gonna walk up to her / I'm gonna talk to her tonight _

Sam moved toward the table where the rookies were congregated, and saw Andy's smile increase by a few watts as she finally noticed him. She got up from the table and walked toward him without a word to her friends. They looked confused, but then knowing smiles spread over their faces as they saw the object of her focus.

_Yeah, she's gonna be somebody's only light / Gonna shine tonight; make her mine tonight / Yeah, she's gonna be somebody's baby tonight_

Andy met him halfway and her hands came up to rest on his chest as his arms slid around her waist.

"Hi, baby."


	2. Chapter 2  Luke

**A/N:** Okay, so I admit to having a soft spot for Luke. I kinda like the guy, completely clueless though he might be. I don't like LukeandAndy though; let's just be clear about that right now.

Luke Callaghan walked into the Black Penny as he did practically every night now. He wasn't sure why he tortured himself like this, but he couldn't seem to resist.

Music blared from hidden speakers.

_Well, just look at that girl with the lights comin' up in her eyes / She's got to be somebody's baby / She must be somebody's baby_

As always, his brooding gaze went directly to Andy. Not that he was stalking her or anything, but just being in the same room with her lifted his spirits. He grabbed a barstool near the door and ordered a vodka on the rocks; watching the beautiful girl with the smile like sunshine. Also as always, he wasn't alone in this activity. Half the men in the bar were doing the same. Luke downed his drink and ordered another.

_All the guys on the corner stand back and let her walk on by / She's got to be somebody's baby / She must be somebody's baby / She's got to be somebody's baby / She's so fine_

Hearing her laughter brought back the memory of the first time they met at this bar. It was after Fite Nite and he hadn't been at all sure she would show up. Then she had walked in and lit up the room. Luke hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her and she had chosen him to be with.

_She's probably somebody's only light / Gonna shine tonight / Yeah, she's probably somebody's baby, alright_

Even though his work had distracted him frequently, he had always tried to make time for Andy. Not that it seemed like she ever really needed him. She was an incredibly strong woman. Looking back, though, it appeared he'd missed a lot of clues telling him that, strong or not, she both wanted and needed a man whom she could lean on. Eventually, she had realized that she had a guy like that in her life already. Unfortunately for him, his name wasn't Luke Callaghan.

_I heard her talking with her friend when she thought nobody else was around / She said she's got to be somebody's baby; she must be somebody's baby / 'Cause when the cars and the signs and the street lights light up the town / She's got to be somebody's baby / She must be somebody's baby / She's got to be somebody's baby / She's so…_

After laughing her way through her miserable failure at darts, Andy handed the game over to Epstein and Diaz and made her way to a table where Gail Peck was waiting with drinks. He watched her talking with her friends as if they were the only three in the room. Luke imagined they were discussing every aspect of what had happened during their day. She used to do that with him. He hadn't really realized it at the time, but that was probably the best six months of his life. He hadn't known what he had until she was gone. He had tried focusing on his work and dating other women, but he missed Andy brightening up his days and nights.

_She's gonna be somebody's only light / Gonna shine tonight / Yeah, she's gonna be somebody's baby tonight / I try to shut my eyes, but I can't get her out of my sight_

Seeing her every day was incredibly difficult, especially now that he could see where he had gone wrong. It would have been so easy to focus a little more on strengthening their relationship. A few more evenings spent with her instead of at work; a random text message during the day to arrange a special date; a little more time taken to show her that he cared about what was happening in her life and he wouldn't be sitting alone right now. Finishing off his second drink, it occurred to Luke that maybe it wasn't too late after all. If you didn't count the other rookies, Andy seemed to be alone tonight. This was a fact that he had not failed to register on several previous occasions. He threw a few bills on the bar and stood up. Maybe it was time.

_I know I'm gonna know her, but I've got to get over my fright / Well, I'm just gonna walk up to her / I'm gonna talk to her tonight_

Before he could even take a step, he saw Andy's face light up as she shot out of her chair and made a bee line for the man who was walking toward her. Luke watched as she melted into Sam Swarek's arms. The look on Sam's face was that of a man who had just been given everything he ever wanted in life.

_Yeah, she's gonna be somebody's only light / Gonna shine tonight / Yeah, she's gonna be somebody's baby tonight_

Luke turned and walked out the door.


	3. Chapter 3 Jerry and Traci

Thwack!

The projectile zipped across the six-foot space and sank into its target with deadly accuracy. Jerry's gaze traced its trajectory from his cover across the room and came to rest upon the shooter.

_Well, just look at that girl with the lights comin' up in her eyes / She's got to be somebody's baby / She must be somebody's baby_

The classic song seemed to keep time to Traci's rhythm as she did a little victory dance in front of the dartboard. When she stepped back to let Andy take a turn, the lights caught her face and made her smile brilliant. Or maybe it was happiness that did that. He wasn't the only one noticing. The crowd of men gathered around the dartboard was a testament to more than just the skill of the women shooting. Jerry's mouth quirked as a dart went astray and several of the men in question moved back a safe distance.

_All the guys on the corner stand back and let her walk on by / She's got to be somebody's baby / She must be somebody's baby / She's got to be somebody's baby / She's so fine_

Thinking back, he could say with certainty that it had all started with the knife. Before that it had been a fun, casual hook-up kind of arrangement. Then she had taken his gift and smiled that smile and things had gone from 'a good time' to 'she's the one'. He wasn't even sure how it had happened. He couldn't pinpoint when he had started to fall in love, but he had known her for long while now and he was still falling with no end in sight. He made up excuses every day to ask for her help or pass by her desk, just because there was nothing better or brighter in his world than her.

_She's probably somebody's only light / Gonna shine tonight / Yeah, she's probably somebody's baby, alright_

Not to say that things had always been smooth sailing between them. Let's face it; he was not the most astute man in the world when it came to understanding women. One bad day and one bad comment and more than one relationship had come crashing down around his ears. With Traci it was doubly difficult because she had her son. He felt like he was walking through a minefield sometimes. It was worth it though. To have Traci and Leo in his life, he would dodge artillery any day. He was just glad that he knew other guys who were going through the same thing. Sam and Oliver and their monthly poker games were a godsend and he was sure Traci felt the same about Gail and Andy. Watching her sitting and laughing with the two women now, Jerry was thankful that she had them in her life. He knew that her talking things out with them had probably saved his relationship more than once.

_I heard her talking with her friend when she thought nobody else was around / She said she's got to be somebody's baby; she must be somebody's baby / 'Cause when the cars and the signs and the streetlights light up the town / She's got to be somebody's baby / She must be somebody's baby / She's got to be somebody's baby / She's so… _

Jerry set his shot glass spinning on the bar as he thought back to the dark few months when they had been apart. He had almost lost her when her ex-boyfriend/Leo's father Dex had decided that he wanted his family back together. Traci had tried to make it work because she knew how much Leo wanted his dad. Watching her sink slowly into misery had almost driven Jerry crazy because there was nothing he could do to help her. Still he tried to be there for her in small ways and to encourage and support her where he could. He tried to respect her choice and her boundaries. He tried to be her friend.

_She's gonna be somebody's only light / Gonna shine tonight / Yeah, she's gonna be somebody's baby tonight / I try to shut my eyes but I can't get her outta my sight_

The day he learned that she and Dex were over for good was the day that he realized how far he would go to have her in his life. How far he wanted them to go together. Boy, did that ever have him freaking out. He corralled Sam and Oliver for a marathon poker weekend over that one. He went over and over the reasons why it was bad timing and a bad risk. His two friends just looked at him through bloodshot eyes and hangovers and waited for him to wind down. Then they took him for everything he had and proposed a new wager. Winning would mean getting all his money back; losing would mean fulfilling the bet that was written on a small slip of paper and tossed into the middle of the table. They had then proceeded to play excessively badly. Jerry had had to pull every trick in the book and still only managed to lose by the skin of his teeth. Now the time had come to make good on his bet. He was terrified. He couldn't wait.

_I know I'm gonna know her, but I gotta get over my fright / Well, I'm just gonna walk up to her / I'm gonna talk to her tonight_

He swallowed hard and pushed away from the bar. Walking across the room, he noticed Sam and Andy with their arms wrapped around each other, swaying to the music like there was no one else in the world. His eyes connected with Traci's and he knew how they felt. A sense of calm washed over him at the love he saw written plainly on her face. When he reached her side, he knelt down beside her and, in front of an entire bar full of their fellow coppers, he asked her the question that had been laid on the poker table that night. The wager of the game that he had worked so hard to lose was the one thing in his life he was hoping to win.

"Will you marry me?"

Traci's eyes flooded with tears and for what seemed like an eternity she didn't say anything. Then she started nodding frantically. Jerry rose to his feet and carried her along with him, hugging her tightly.

_Yeah, she's gonna be somebody's only light / Gonna shine tonight; make her mine tonight/ Yeah, she's gonna be somebody's baby tonight_

"I love you, baby."


End file.
